Sunday, 20 June 2010

A wall of rocks so brightly reflecting That their face, tilted to the West, receiving The sun of afternoon in phases of altering Colour so deep it went into the roots of hue, Cooled only slowly toward blue evening.

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Transparent colours are limitless whether illuminated or in darkness, in the same way that fire and air can be understood as their highpoint and lowpoint... The relationship between light and transparent colour is infinitely fascinating if one hazards an attempt to deepen it, and when colours catch fire, and mix, and reappear, and disappear, it is like breathing within the great spans of time between eternity and eternity, from the most exalted light to the eternal, solitary calm of the lowest gradations. -- Goethe, Theory of Colours, 1810

In short: pure colour is the instrument of fantasy, the land of dreams for a child lost in games.

I love Canyon, the painting, the related texts (all of which are now part of Canyon), but especially each of the comments (Steve's, Marcia's, Tom's) and Steve's poem. After a morning of deadening work, I feel quite alive again.

About chiaroscuro, well... the subject of light and shade is inexhaustible.

Following the remarks about transparent colour which I quote in the post, Goethe proceeds:

"Opaque colours, on the other hand, are like flowers that do not reach for the sky and which, in any case, have more in common with weakness, with white, on the one hand, and with evil, with black, on the other. These latter, however, are quite capable of producing variations so sprightly and effects so natural that... the former, that is transparent colours, in the end one comes to enjoy as spirits and are useful only to elevate the others".